Saturday coffee #227

Something the week turned out to be quite boring, but, in principle, there was a little interesting this time as well. Yes, in

The Sberbank Online app for Android has returned the possibility of contactless payment, just download the latest version of the program and link the Mir card.

Birkenstock sandals worn by Steve Jobs were sold at an auction in California for $218,750.

And Motorinvest announced the start of sales at official dealers of the Russian electric crossover Evolute i-Joy. The recommended retail price of the model is 3,490,000 rubles.

New Snapdragon
Voice assistant from Tele2
New realme
Headphones by Anker
Your rights are now in VK
A week with Apple Watch Ultra
...and dessert

New Snapdragon

Qualcomm unveiled the next generationflagship processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the model received the designation SM8550-AB. The novelty is made on the basis of a 4-nm process. It is stated that in comparison with the first generation, the new chip is 35% more productive and 40% more energy efficient.

Miscellaneous

Affiliate material

Reality and prospects of the IT professions market

What professions are the most popular and highly paid?

Saturday coffee #227

Pour a cup of invigorating Saturday coffee andcheck out the news of the week. Qualcomm introduced a flagship processor, realme released two new ones, someone bought old Jobs flip flops, and I walked around with an Apple Watch Ultra for a week ...

Hyundai Creta test 2021. The most popular crossover

The second generation of the Creta model is one of the keynew products of the Hyundai brand this year on the Russian market. The new car was first presented in the summer of 2021 at the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus plant.

Review of the laptop "2 in 1" ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED (T3300K)

Blurring the lines between a laptop and a tablet running full-fledged Windows 11: a high-quality display, flexibility in work scenarios, there are a number of ambiguous points…

The processor runs at the same clock speed asas Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen1, but it has a different composition of cores. The processor uses the 1+2+2+3 architecture. The main ultra-large core Kryo Prime based on Cortex-X3 operates at a frequency of 3.2 GHz. The processor also has 4 high performance cores running at 2.8 GHz and three power efficient cores running at 2 GHz. The processor supports LPDDR5X memory up to 4200 MHz and UFS 4.0 storage. The Adreno GPU has 25% faster performance and 45% better power efficiency. The processor can run QHD+ displays at up to 144Hz or 4K displays at up to 60Hz. The chipset supports cameras up to 200 MP and can capture 8K video at 30 frames per second. The X70 modem provides dual SIM operation in the 4G-5G and Bluetooth 5.3 bands.

We are waiting for new products on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but something to mesuggests that the chip will remain as voracious and hot as the previous ones. Still, chip manufacturers need to do something about this, and not stupidly increase capacity, which today is already abundant for mobile devices.

Here in the week we wrote about the RAM in Android smartphones:

#196. How much RAM does an Android smartphone need?

Opening of the "House of Books" on Nevsky, about the RAM of smartphones.

Voice assistant from Tele2

The Tele2 operator has launched a voice telephone assistant for its customers. Users will be able to connect the assistant to any Tele2 mobile number and entrust it with the processing of incoming calls.

According to the operator, the basic skills of voiceпомощника Tele2 – принимать входящие вызовы, вести осмысленный диалог, узнавать цель звонка, воспроизводить сценарий разговора в зависимости от слов собеседника. Например, он узнает, когда и где забрать заказ, спросит контакты курьера, уточнит детали записи к врачу. Помимо этого, он защищает от спам-звонков: выяснит все подробности об очередном «одобренном кредите» и вежливо отклонит предложения мошенников. Личный цифровой помощник обладает и другими полезными опциями – может называть звонящего по имени. По завершении разговора клиент получит аудиозапись и текстовую расшифровку в Telegram.

Сервис доступен бесплатно в течение первых 7 дней after connection, then the cost will be 3 rubles per day. During the trial period, the client can replace the assistant, while the promo period will be common to all options.

In general, voice assistants are good anda useful option, especially in our time, when there are a lot of spam calls distracting from current affairs and not bringing any useful information. And here they transferred the call to an assistant, and let the robots communicate with each other there, and as a result, you will receive a decryption in Telegram and get acquainted with it at a convenient time. By the way, the fact that the recording of the conversation and decryption come exactly to the messenger is the right thing, as it is fast and convenient. The price of the Tele2 service is quite in the market. Yes, and 3 rubles a day is a little money for saving your own time and personal peace of mind.

New realme

realme 10 smartphones unveiled this weekPro and 10 Pro Plus. The first received a 6.72-inch FHD + display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, a Snapdragon 695 chipset, 8/12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of permanent memory. The main camera in the device is 108 MP Samsung HM6 with an additional 2 MP module. 5000mAh battery with 33W charging support. The device also has two speakers and a 3.5 mm jack. The cost is from 1,599 yuan.

realme 10 Pro Plus Powered by Dimensity1080, equipped with 8/12 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of permanent memory. 6.7-inch AMOLED FHD+ waterfall display with 120Hz refresh rate. 108 MP Samsung HM6 main camera with 2 MP secondary module and 8 MP ultra wide-angle lens. The battery is also 5000mAh with support for 67W fast charging. The price is that 1,699 yuan.

Not bad, but not outstanding models, besidessomeone decided that it was necessary to return waterfall screens to the market, and now realme, following other players, releases a model with a similar display, which is inconvenient to use. Yes, and you should pay attention to the new trend in the design of camera design, now these are two mugs, which we already see from several manufacturers, and others will soon catch up.

For smartphones this week, we had the following comparison:

Comparison of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and 12S Ultra

Two camera phones: who shoots better, where there is less PWM, which smartphone is more convenient ...

And also came out a complete review of Nothing Phone (1).I don’t know why Roman liked the camera in the device, maybe the software was tightened up, but when I tested the smartphone, I didn’t like its photo capabilities at all.

Nothing Phone (1) review: original, but odd

The most unusual Android smartphone of 2022...

And here is an article about the uniformity of models:

The drop in the quality of electronics in 2023. The inevitability of the crisis

Why electronics manufacturers will produce the same type of models, save on everything, and the number of defects will increase. We understand why this will happen in 2023.

Headphones by Anker

Anker under the Soundcore brand introducednew Space A40 wireless headphones. According to the manufacturer, the model belongs to the middle price segment, but the developers managed to bring their sound closer to the flagship Soundcore line. At the hardware level, technological speakers with a two-layer membrane are responsible for this, at the software level, support for the LDAC codec.

Space A40 can adapt to individualHearing features thanks to intelligent Hear ID technology. Headphones test the user's hearing using special algorithms and create an individual sound profile that suits him.

Soundcore Space A40 can work up to 10hours on a single charge and up to 50 hours with recharging in a case. There is a quick charge in 10 minutes, which gives up to 4 hours of battery life, and the case, in addition to wired, also supports wireless charging.

Anker Soundcore Space A40 headphones are already available in stores for a suggested retail price of 6,999 rubles.

According to the specifications, it seems like interesting headphones, andpleasant for the price. You have to listen, but Anker has recently released very worthy products in this segment. The design, of course, of the headphones is not outstanding, the case is simple, but due to the relatively low price of the product, this is not so critical.

And we had this material on the topic of codecs:

MQAir is a new codec for Bluetooth. Fraud or something else?

How to create the best codec for smartphones on paper and get Hi-Res Audio certified. Fraud as a series of “successes”

And here's one on the topic of headphones:

Girl with headphones in the sauna and other social clashes

How we can imperceptibly poison the lives of others, often without even knowing it. Examples from life.

Headphones and your health. Things to think about when using any headphones

How headphones can damage hearing, cause otitis or allergies - how long you can and should wear headphones, what to look for so that there are no health problems.

Your rights are now in VK

"Gosuslugi" launched a test versionmini-applications "Auto" on the VK Mini Apps platform, in which people can use the services of the "Gosuslugi Avto" service: view documents for a car, present an electronic driver's license or STS to a traffic police officer, and also transfer the right to drive a vehicle to another driver or revoke them .

I wonder how VKontakte graduallyturns into a kind of Chinese WeChat, which, on the one hand, is good, on the other hand, a monopoly in the market and superapps do not always turn into pluses for end consumers.

Operators

Vladimir Nimin

Operator news: new Tele2 tariff

It seems that the new tariff from Tele2 looks like a great reason to throw a gamepad into your backpack so that you always have it at hand.

Overview of the Samsung OneUI 5.0 interface - all the changes and new features

Dozens of new features in OneUI 5, we consider each of them separately and evaluate the new system as a whole. Great upgrade to Android 13.

Google event: new Google Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 7 smartphones, Pixel Watch and unusual tablet

Interesting presentation from Google. It's likely that you'll want the new Pixel 7 Pro!

Sudio E2 TWS headphones review: in partnership with Dirac

Great headphones straight from Sweden - with Dirac Virtuo noise-canceling and spatial sound...

In this article, we talked about leaking user data:

Whoosh User Data Leak - “Insensitive Data”

Why Whoosh didn't tell its customers about the data breach and present the situation in a favorable light. Another data leak

And in this one - about new domestic developments:

Towards the northern Aurora - about the Russian platform for half a trillion rubles

What are the problems facing the Russian platform Aurora, why is it more than a replacement for Android, who will pay for it, and where does half a trillion budget money come from.

A week with Apple Watch Ultra

Not a week goes by that our friends fromBig Geek stores did not please me with some new product for the test. This week they brought the Apple Watch Ultra, which I was rather skeptical about after the presentation, but after a week with them I changed my mind and now I want to give them to myself for the New Year.

With the premiere of the Apple Watch Ultra, the company fromCupertino invaded the territory of other players like Garmin or Suunto, who sat quietly and peacefully in their niche, producing highly specialized products for professionals. But then Apple came and decided to bite off this piece, taking away the market share of wearable gadgets for athletes and extreme sportsmen, as if they were not enough with an almost complete monopoly in the civilian smartwatch market. But I don’t think that the “apple” company will succeed in this expansion, they have created a universal product that will suit amateurs, but, most likely, will not suit professional users in many respects.

Let's start with the fact that Watch Ultra, in my opinion,have too weak screen protection, which is not even a millimeter recessed into the case. Yes, the sapphire crystal that the company uses in the production is good, but for additional protection it needs a large rim, just look at the profile models or at least the banal G-Shock.

Battery life is also importantmoment, and Watch Ultra, although they work longer than a regular Apple Watch, but still this time does not exceed 3 days in normal use and 60 hours in power saving mode. And this is not enough, given that some Garmin can last a week or more.

Also, the product from Apple does not support todaywork with external sensors, so they will no longer suit part of the professional community. As, however, and the exceptional opportunity to work only with the iPhone.

But if we discard professional userswearable gadgets, and to look at the product as a device for ordinary consumers, the Watch Ultra looks very interesting. So, for example, they turned out to be not as large as it looked on the press photo, they are even smaller than my not very large Casio G-Shock, so they will suit any wardrobe every day (unless you can change the strap for business style) . At the same time, for the first time in many years, Apple finally comes out with a smart watch in a new design. The old one, I think, has long become boring to many, but here is something different from the previously presented one. The Ultra's large screen also proved to be much more convenient for interacting with the watch, while loud speakers and improved microphones are even more suitable for voice calls. High-precision GPS and civil will not be superfluous, especially for those who are fond of hiking, you never know, and here the watch will come to the rescue with its “Return along the route” option. Well, a more capacious battery is also a definite plus, now, when going, for example, on a mini-trip for the weekend, you can not take a charger with you, since the watch is guaranteed to work for two days, although it was enough for me even for three days.

As a result, in my opinion, the Apple Watch Ultraturned out to be not so much a professional product, but a device for an amateur audience of athletes, extreme sportsmen and regular users of the Apple Watch, who are fed up with the design of the old ones and would like a bigger battery, as well as the screen. The only thing that can stop consumers from buying Watch Ultra is the price of $800, as there is no simpler version for them in an aluminum case, only titanium, there is no option only with GPS, only with cellular communication (useless in Russia), well, their position in the company's line does not give them the right to be cheaper than the same Watch Series 8.

On the subject of Apple, we published this article this week:

10 reasons for and against buying an Apple iPhone 14

The main disadvantages and positive aspects of the popular Apple device.

...and dessert

LEGO unveiled a set of 1.5-meter Eiffel Tower, consisting of 10,001 parts. The construction set will go on sale next Friday for $630.

Saturday coffee #226

Pour a cup of fragrant Saturday coffee andcheck out the news of the week. VK Messenger was upgraded, MediaTek introduced a flagship chip, Audio-Technica showed a portable vinyl player, and I spent a week with an iPhone 14 Pro…

Saturday coffee #225

Pour a cup of fragrant Saturday coffee andcheck out the news of the week. Xiaomi introduced the concept of an unusual smartphone, a new electric crossover arrived in Russia, Lada can now be bought online, and I spent a week with a folding smartphone…

Saturday coffee #224

Pour a cup of invigorating Saturday coffee andcheck out the news of the week. Xiaomi introduced new smartphones and a laptop, the Evolute electric car went on sale, Apple moves to USB-C, and Netflix will show Sonic ...